Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Mexican society of biochemistry: Keeping young at 54

2011; Wiley; Volume: 63; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/iub.509

1521-6551

Carlos Gómez‐Lojero, Diego González‐Halphen,

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques

Mexico is a country of 112.3 × 106 inhabitants and with a territory of 1.96 × 106 km2 localized south of the United States of America and northwest from Central America. This land is one of the three places in which agriculture was invented (1). It is also one of the three places in which written language originated, both with the Olmecs (2) and the Mayans (3). Ruins from several cities and myriads of artistic remains testify the presence of great Mesoamerican civilizations, other than the aforementioned, the Teotihuacans, the Zapotecs, and the Aztecs. Pre-Columbian Mexico City was founded in 1325. The country was conquered by the Spaniards in 1521 and obtained its freedom in 1821. Modern science in Mexico is relatively young and developed only in the midst of the last century, that is, Astronomy in the early 30′s, and Biochemistry in the 50′s. In November 2010, more than 1,400 biochemists traveled to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of the state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico, to attend the 28th National Congress of the Mexican Society of Biochemistry (SMB). The vast majority of the participants were graduate students, carrying out research at different institutions all over Mexico. About to celebrate its 54th anniversary, the biannual meeting of the SMB keeps attracting a large number of participants that has been increasing steadily along the years. Only 4 years ago, in July 2007, many members of the SMB gathered in the auditorium of the National Museum of Anthropology, located in the midst of Chapultepec Park, perhaps one of the largest green sections in the heart of Mexico City. They celebrated their 50th birthday and paid homage to their founding fathers and to those members of the society that served in the executive committees since 1957. The anniversary marked not only half a century of existence of this scientific society, but also the start of biochemical research in Mexico. The SMB started with 14 members (Fig. 1). At the time, eleven of them were fully committed to biochemical research, while three used biochemical methods as a tool for their own research (nutriology, endocrinology or pharmacology). Many of them, had recently obtained their Ph.D. degree from an American university, particularly from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where Jesús Guzmán and Jesús Kumate took courses, while Mario García worked with Henry A. Lardy, and Guillermo Soberón and Edmundo Calva worked in the laboratory of Philip P. Cohen. Barbarín Arreguín and Mario García came back to Mexico after a posdoctoral stay at CALTECH and at the University of California at Berkeley, respectively. (A) Foundation of the Mexican Society of Biochemistry, July 1st, 1957. First row: Mario García Hernández, Guillermo Massieu Helguera, Guillermo Soberón Acevedo, Guillermo Carvajal Sandoval, Edmundo Calva Cuadrilla, Barbarín Arreguín Lozano and Joaquín Cravioto Muñoz. Second row: Jesús Guzmán García, Carlos del Rio Estrada, Raúl Ondarza Vidaurreta, José Laguna García, Silvestre Frenk Freund, Efraín Pardo Codina and Jesús Kumate Rodríguez. Underlined are the names of the founders that were already involved in basic biochemical research. (B) Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the SMB. The founders celebrate with a dinner held in Mexico City, holding the same place in the photograph as in 1957. In the words of the founding president, Guillermo Soberón, the SMB started due to the imperious necessity to end the isolation between the few researchers that were working at different institutions, and to establish contact with their peers. It was a period of scientific effervescence in Mexico, when other important societies were founded, like the one of physiological sciences (SMCF). Indeed, for some time the first annual meetings were organized by both societies during 1966–1969. The original members of the SMB started meeting on a monthly basis in their laboratories, discussing their own research and also selected papers published in international journals. This close contact between the founders allowed them to share equipment and reagents, and sometimes even the very scarce financial support that was available at the time. Besides stretching the resources to a maximum, there was the deep conviction that new researchers had to be trained and that a critical mass of biochemists in Mexico had to be reached. At the time, four scientific nuclei were established to carry on research and to train new graduate students: one at the National School of Biological Sciences of the National Polytechnic Institute (leaded by Manuel Castañeda-Agulló), another at the School of Medicine at the National University of Mexico (leaded by José Laguna), a third one at one of the Mexican National Institutes of Health (leaded by Guillermo Soberón) and the last one at the Center of Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), with Carlos Gitler and several other researchers that shared a rotating leadership. A number of well known scientists were invited to participate in the first meetings and to lecture on their research work: Professor Philip P. Cohen, a good friend of SMB (1958), Arthur Kornberg, the first Nobel Prize winner to visit Mexico (1961), Sir Hans Krebs (1961), Salvador E. Luria and Marshall W. Niremberg (1963), Linus Pauling (1964), and Luis F. Leloir, Edward Tatum, Sir Hans Krebs, and Severo Ochoa (1966). In 1966, in four headquarters that included the Faculty of Medicine at UNAM, the National Medical Center, Cinvestav, and the National School of Biological Sciences, the International Symposium on “Enzymatic Aspects of Metabolic Regulation” took place, with lectures of three Nobel prizes and presentations by professors from Argentina (two), Brazil (three), Chile (three), Mexico (eight), and USA (nine). For this meeting, the Aztec calendaric symbol of the “ollin” was used as a logo. It was immediately afterwards adopted as symbol of the Society. In its indigenous, pre-Columbian meaning, the “ollin” made reference to “movement” and “activity,” and in modern times, it also reminded Mexican biochemists of two stylized pairs of polynucleotide spirals and in general, of the dynamic nature of biochemical phenomena (see inset of Figure 2). The SMB has kept all along its history the strong democratic character with which it was initiated. This is evidenced by several facts: 1) other than those held in Mexico City, the biannual meetings have rotated in 13 out of the 32 different states of Mexico (Fig. 2), and many state universities and institutions have acted as local hosts. Some places have become favorites because of their tourist attraction, including Mérida in the Yucatan Peninsula, several of the coastal cities of Guerrero, and the colonial cities of Guanajuato or San Luis Potosí. In these places, the biannual meeting of the SMB has taken place more than once. 2) No special requirements are needed to be accepted as a member, as long as the candidate is participating in research activities related to biochemistry and has published at least two research articles in his field. Student members are accepted if they are formally registered in a graduate program and most renew their membership every two years. 3) Members of the executive committees are elected by secret vote at a biannual assembly, where votes may be cast personally or received by mail or internet from all the numerical members. 4) Also, to date, the SMB does not ask for membership fees. Its main income comes from the revenues of the biannual national congress and the smaller meetings organized by the branches. Nevertheless, the SMB has never enjoyed a secure estate. A visitor once asked the founding president “how does the Society sustain itself?” and the answer was “by a miracle.” Nowadays, this miracle is the continuing attraction that the scientific meetings of the SMB exerts on the participants, that look forward every two years to discuss their research with their colleagues and to attend first class lectures. This attraction and the corresponding income due to congress registration fees have ensured the survival of the SMB along the years. The idea is simple: a well-organized congress, with an attractive scientific program, and a friendly atmosphere in all the sessions, guarantees attendance. In fact, the number of total papers presented at the SMB meetings has increased steadily along the years (Fig. 3). A notable peak occurred in 1992, during the XIX SMB Congress organized by Antonio Peña that took place along with the VII PAABS Congress and the Meeting of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry (commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America). This meeting attracted an unusual number of international speakers and attendees. It was only until 2008, at the SMB national meeting in Guanajuato, that a similar number of participants was attained. Dates and Places in Mexico where SMB meetings have been held since 1962. Most of the members of the SMB participated in the first eight National Congresses of the Mexican Society of Physiological Sciences from 1958 to 1964 (not shown). Number of papers presented at the Meetings of the SMB. Figures represent the contribution of both free and invited contributions. As an alternative to hold SMB meetings every year, in 1981 it was decided to generate branches of the Society, that would specialize on selected themes and would organize their own meetings in those years when the large, biannual congress would not take place. Nowadays, the SMB is still loosely organized in branches, whose main objective is to get together a relatively small group (50–150 people) that share common scientific interests. The relative small number of participants at the branches' meetings maximizes student participation, and thus a large number of the talks are from students. To date, eight branches of the Society are active, and carry out biannual meetings with regularity: 1) Bioenergetics and Biomembranes (that this year will have its XVII meeting), 2) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants (XIV meeting), 3) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Virus (VII meeting), 4) Molecular and Cellular Biology of Fungi (IX meeting), 5) Physical Chemistry, Structure and Design of Proteins (III meeting), 6) Signal Transduction (III meeting), 7) Oxygen Reactive Species in Biology and Medicine (III meeting), and 8) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Bacteria (II meeting). Another feature of the SMB is the freedom with which these branches are organized, 15 or more members that share common scientific interests apply to the Executive Committee to formally constitute a new branch. Along the years, some branches were created, and as living entities, some have functioned for a while and then disappeared, like the ones of Enzymology or Nucleic Acids (the first group to organize a branch meeting). Following the development of new fields, other branches prospered and became increasingly large and eventually coalesced with, or gave rise to, new scientific societies, among others the Mexican Society of Immunology (1975), the Mexican Society of Developmental Biology (1992), and the Mexican Society of Proteomics (2005). Nevertheless, the organization of the SMB in different branches allows biochemists with common interests to get organized and function as a formal group without going through the trouble of founding a new scientific society from scratch, with all the bureaucratic hassle involved. Executive committees are formed by four members and serve for two years: a president, a vice-president, a secretary–treasurer and a vice-secretary. The vice-president and the vice-secretary get the chance to see how the other two members organize the biannual meeting. Then, every two years, the general assembly votes for a new vice-president and a new vice-secretary, while the former vice-president and vice-secretary move onwards to occupy the presidency and the secretariat. In this way, it is assured that experience from those that have already organized a large congress and other academic events can be shared with the new members of the committee. Other than organizing academic events, the Executive Committee also supervises the organization of the small meetings of the branches, takes care of finances and taxes, the annual admission of new members, and keeps actualized the internet page of the Society (http://www.smb.org.mx/). Starting with very few lectures during the period 1962–1970, the SMB kept attracting new members to their meetings. By 1972, the biannual congress of the SMB became the forum of choice for all researchers from different Mexican Institutions to group together. Invited speakers from abroad became a distinct feature of the biannual SMB congresses. Famous leaders of their research field have lectured in these meetings, among others Anthony Cerami (Rockefeller University, 1982); Julius Axelrod (NIH, 1982); Leopoldo de Meis (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 1982); Jonathan R. Warner (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1982); Clinton Ballou (University of California at Berkeley, 1984); Alton Meister (Cornell University, 1986); Geoffrey M. Cooper (Harvard Medical School, 1986); Joan Massagué (University of Massachussets, 1986); Louis Sokoloff (NIH, 1986); Michael G. Rossman (Purdue University, 1986); Margarita Salas (Autonomous University of Madrid,1992); Alec J. Jeffreys (University of Leicester, 1992); Gunnar von Heijne (Stockholm University, 2006); and Thomas C. Südhof (University of Texas Southwestern, 2006). It has long become a tradition that the biannual congresses of the SMB are opened with a cultural lecture not related to biochemistry. A long list of intellectuals including historians, psychoanalysts, architects, artists, and anthropologists, have delivered lectures on a large variety of themes, and delighted biochemists with stories other than molecules and metabolic routes. The SMB has been committed to maintain links with international scientists. Several members of the SMB have organized in the past International Schools and Symposia, bringing the best players of the field to Mexico (Table 1). Nowadays, another long awaited international meeting, will take place from October 22 to 27, 2011, in Mérida, Yucatán. This 13th IUBMB Conference, 1st PABMB Conference, and 3rd Meetings the Signal Transduction and Oxidative Stress Branches of the Mexican Biochemistry Society, will further stimulate the interactions of Mexican biochemists with their international peers. In 2004, after interviews between Joan Guinovart (IRB, Barcelona) and Adolfo García-Sáinz (University of Mexico) with members of the Executive Committee, the necessity to renew academic ties with the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM) became evident. This idea crystallized in 2006, at the SMB Congress in Guanajuato, when the first Hispano-Mexican Symposium was organized with the participation of Miguel A. De la Rosa (University of Seville), Carlos Gómez-Lojero (Cinvestav, Mexico), and Félix M. Goñi (University of the Bascq Country). Since then, on odd years two Mexican biochemists travel to Spain to participate in the SEBBM congress and in even years, two Spanish biochemists come to Mexico. Mexican Science has traditionally received a modest support from the State (only 0.35% of its GDP), far behind from countries like Israel (4.74%), Korea (3.4%), USA (2.67%), Germany (2.55%), and China (1.49%) but also from other Latino American countries like Brazil (1.02%) (4). Nevertheless, in the decade 1996–2006, Mexico contributed with 0.554% of the research articles published in indexed international journals in the world. This means roughly 7,775 articles in the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology. This number is small when compared to the production of USA (583,341 papers), Germany (130,721), Spain (47,642), and even Brazil (22,062). Nevertheless, the Mexican articles received an average of 5.83 citations per paper, reflecting the high quality of its research. This Mexican scientific productivity was carried out by ∼3,700 researchers working in the area during that decade (5). Paradoxically, the above mentioned figures contrast with the unequal distribution of scientists and SMB members over the 32 states of the country (Fig. 4). One obvious problem, that is, unveiled with this analysis, is the unequal distribution of Biochemistry and Science in general, among the different states of Mexico. Research is centralized in the Federal District (mainly Mexico City) and some surrounding states (i.e., Morelos), making Mexican science a “big-headed dwarf.” In addition, the fraction of the population pertaining to biochemical societies is still low in Mexico as compared to other countries (Table 2). Distribution of scientists belonging to the SNI and to the SMB among the different states of Mexico. The SNI, or Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, is Mexico's national system of researchers, created by the State in July 26, 1984, to recognize the work of those persons dedicated to create scientific knowledge and to develop new technology in all areas. Bars indicate number of scientists pertaining to the SNI per 10,000 inhabitants; diamonds indicate the number of numerical members of the SMB. Data was recollected from internet page of the SMB (http://www.smb.org.mx/), from the Population and Housing Census made by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (http://www.censo2010.org.mx/), and the work report 2009 of CONACyT (http://www.siicyt.gob.mx/siicyt/docs/contenido/informe_Labores_2009.pdf) (Mexico's National Science Foundation). With very few postdoctoral fellows working in its laboratories, Mexican experimental science relies more heavily on the work of graduate students, which inject their work, enthusiasm, and talent in a daily basis. In the words of the ex-President of the SMB, Federico Sánchez, paraphrasing the Mexican poet Jaime Sabines: “The only way for old professors to become young again is through contagion, by being close to young researchers.” Young at 54, the SMB looks forward to its one century anniversary, betting on its new generations to further develop its academic strength and on a more equal distribution of resources and opportunities all along the country. The authors are grateful to Dr. Fernando López Casillas for inviting them to write this editorial.